Christopher Hayden and Rory Gilmore sit in Christopher's office in 'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life'

‘Gilmore Girls’: The Worst Love Interest Was Jackson Belleville, Not Christopher Hayden

Jackson Belleville and Christopher Hayden were both pretty awful partners. Still, Jackson was by far the worst 'Gilmore Girls' love interest there was.

by Andrea Francese

Published on July 8, 2022

3 min read

Jackson refused to stand up for Sooke St. James, Christopher could and did put Lorelai first, occasionally

Jackson Belleville was pretty awful from the very beginning of their relationship. Not only did he let Sookie take the lead and ask him out, but he brought his cousin, Rune, on their first date. He let Rune disrespect both Sookie and Lorelai before he finally tossed him so he could enjoy his burger with Sookie in peace. While he eventually pulled it together and did the right thing, it took far too long for it to happen. Still, he wasn’t apologetic to Lorelai. Fans largely agree that Jackson’s first date behavior was subpar. The season 1 episode, “Double Date,” is one of the show’s most disliked.

It would go on to become a bit of a pattern. While some Gilmore Girls fans perceive Jackson as someone a bit simple, who accidentally failed to understand Sookie’s complex feelings, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Jackson Belleville was in touch with Sookie’s feelings when it benefited him but completely ignored them if there was something he wanted.

Christopher might have been a bit meek as a young adult, but he always stood up for Lorelai. He stood up to his father for Lorelai and was always pretty gracious when dealing with the overbearing Gilmores. Jackson never did the same.

Jackson Belleville bullied Sookie, Christopher Hayden wasn’t a bully

If Jackson Belleville’s worst quality was his inability to stand up for his long-term partner, we could probably forgive him. While Jackson was meek with his own family, he was a bully to Sookie and her friends. Jackson gave Sookie the silent treatment because she didn’t instinctively know he wanted to move in together. He tried to force fruit and vegetables on her that she didn’t want.

Jackson’s bullying got much worse once he and Sookie were officially married. He tried to bully Sookie into having four children in four years. He stormed away from her when she wasn’t on board with the idea. To make it even more cringe-worthy, Jackson even approached Lorelai to yell at her about the whole thing. His reaction was over the top and, frankly, kind of abusive.

Christopher didn’t exactly play fair when it came to fights, either. Still, he wasn’t a bully. Christopher was far more avoidant. Instead of dealing with an argument, he walked away from it. Chris’s behavior was troubling and often left Lorelai frustrated. Still, Jackson’s constant bullying feels a whole lot ickier.

He later lied about having a vasectomy

Jackson’s interest in having a ton of children, despite Sookie’s lack of interest, went far beyond bullying. In a season 7 storyline that still stymies us, Sookie found herself unexpectedly pregnant with her third child. The pregnancy was a huge shock because Jackson was supposed to have had a vasectomy following the birth of their second child. Jackson was taken by a hospital tech immediately following Martha’s birth to have the procedure done, much to his surprise.

Sure, you could argue that Sookie had no right to try and force Jackson Belleville into having the procedure. Still, he had no right to lie to her about going through with it. There is nothing the least bit amusing about reproductive coercion.

Christopher suggested he wanted to have another child with Lorelai, but he never tried to force the issue. He certainly never claimed to have had a medical procedure to render him infertile when he didn’t. That alone makes Chris a way better partner than Jackson.